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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Mongo Bird Love

Wow. So, in case you're not clear on this.....migration in the east is way, way better than it is out west. I don't care that California has a huge bird list.....in terms of passerines, the sheer volume of birds that passes through the eastern states in the spring and fall is staggering in comparison. If you've never been out to the eastern half of the U.S. during migration, youre missing out. For example, I saw dozens of warblers, comprised of 14 species today. American Redstart, Bay-breasted, Blue-winged, Black-and-white, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Cape May, Chestnut-sided, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, Magnolia, Tennessee and Wilson's. And you know what? It was fucking awesome. Crippling, actually. At one point I decided to not look at anything above eye level because there were too many birds to sort through. Also saw Canada and Nashville yesterday, for 16 species in a couple days with not a whole lot of effort. My inner nerd is completely fulfilled right now, and brimming with mongoloid bird love.

Next weekend I'm going to make the pilgrimage to Lake Erie to sleep in the dirt and worship the migrants of Presque Isle. For several days I'm going to run amok, trying to find The Flycatcher of Agony (Yellow-bellied Flycatcher), Gleaming Sandpiper of Victory (White-rumped Sandpiper), Invisible Doom Warbler (Connecticut Warbler), and Espionage Wetland Lurker (Sedge Wren), among others. Why I'm making up bizarre names for these species, I don't really know. Some things are better left unexplained. And so much for that bundle of nerdosity.

Right. I also need to take a picture of a bird, I guess. I have photographed exactly two (2) species since I've been here, which is kinda poor I suppose. I already posted one, so here is the other....a Grasshopper Sparrow from the Volant Strips.

I hope you are all having a good week of toil, and that your 40 hour grave is comfortable!

1 comment:

As a birder from abroad (Germany), I am amazed how few people in North America - apart from the locals - visit the Great Lakes in spring.During a 4 week holiday in May 2005 (not really four weeks as I never birded on the weekends, only during the week), I encountered 36 out of the 38 species of Eastern warblers, missing out only on Yellow-throated (bad, bad luck, missed several times by a day or even just a few hours) and for obvious reasons Swainson's.